of having intercourse with her, and the impediment here is on her part. If any of these causes are found, the duration is restarted, and he does not build upon what has passed; because the saying of the Almighty, "an awaiting of four months" implies consecutive time. So, if she interrupts it, a restart is mandatory, just like the duration of two months in the fasting of expiation. If he breaks his oath and she has escaped from his hand, the duration is interrupted. If she remains in his hand and he is able to have intercourse with her, it is counted against him. If it is said: some of these causes have no action on her part, so it should not interrupt the duration, like menstruation. We say: If the prevention is due to a reason within her, there is no difference between it being by her action or by other than her action. Just as when a seller finds it impossible to deliver the object of the contract, the demand for its compensation does not apply to him, whether it is for an excuse or without an excuse. If he performs Ila' during apostasy, the duration is not set for him except from the time one of the two reverts to Islam. If apostasy occurs during the duration, it is interrupted; because the marriage has become compromised and intercourse is forbidden, so when he returns to Islam, the duration is restarted, whether the apostasy was from both of them or from one of them. Likewise, if one of the two disbelieving spouses converts to Islam, or he initiates Khul' with her, then remarries her. And Allah knows best.

Section: When the duration expires, she has the right to demand the fai'ah (resumption of relations), provided there is no excuse. If she demands it of him, and he requests a delay, if he has no excuse, he is not granted a delay; because it is a right that has become incumbent upon him, for which he has no excuse, so he is not delayed in it, like an immediate debt, and because Allah the Almighty has set the duration at four months, so it is not permissible to increase it without an excuse. He is only delayed by the amount of time it takes to be capable of intercourse in the context of custom; for he is not obligated to have intercourse in his sitting place, and that is not considered a delay. If he says: "Delay me until I eat, for I am hungry," or "until the food digests, for I am satiated (kaziz)," or "until I pray the obligatory prayer," or "break my fast,"